Sectional shelf

ABSTRACT

A sectional shelf is provided, which includes a plurality of shelves each having at least two hollow fastening parts and being stacked one by one to form desired shelf compartments, an upper portion of each shelf being opened, a plurality of hollow support members located between the shelves for supporting the shelves, an upper coupling member with one end inserted into an upper end of each support member and the other end inserted into a lower end of each support member, a threaded portion being formed on an upper end of the upper coupling member, and a lower coupling member with one end inserted into the lower end of each support member and the other end inserted into the upper end of each support member, a threaded portion being formed on a lower end of the lower coupling member and threadedly engaged with the threaded portion of the upper coupling member. The sectional shelf can permit easy assembling and disassembling of a plurality of shelves, and stably maintain the shape of the shelves assembled by support members and/or coupling members.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is based on and claims priority from Korean Patent Application Nos. 20-2006-30213 and 10-2007-21578, filed on Nov. 22, 2006 and Mar. 5, 2007, respectively in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein in its entirety by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a sectional shelf, and more particularly, to a sectional shelf capable of permitting easy assembling of a plurality of shelves and stably maintaining the position of the assembled shelves.

2. Description of the Prior Art

Generally, a sectional shelf is assembled by stacking a plurality of latticed shelves of a certain shape one by one and welding rims of the shelves to vertical support members or engaging the shelves and the support members using lower connecting members.

Such a sectional shelf is positioned on an upper portion of a sink or in a bathroom or veranda so as to store articles or things of small volume.

Since the sectional shelf may be commercially available from many places at low price, various kinds of shelves of different shapes and structures are on the market.

The common shelves have a problem, however, in that since shelves and support members are integrally constructed, a user cannot adjust the number of assembled shelves, if necessary.

Also, a sectional shelf of which shelves and support members are not integrally constructed has a problem in that the connection structure is complicated.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, the present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems occurring in the prior art while advantages achieved by the prior art are maintained intact.

One object of the present invention is to provide a sectional shelf capable of permitting easy assembling of a plurality of shelves by improving a connection manner of the shelves and support members and stably maintaining the shape of the assembled shelves even if things or articles are stored therein.

In order to accomplish these objects, there is provided a sectional shelf, according to the present invention, which comprises a plurality of shelves each having at least two hollow fastening parts and being stacked one by one to form desired shelf compartments, an upper portion of each shelf being opened; a plurality of hollow support members located between the shelves for supporting the shelves; an upper coupling member with one end inserted into an upper end of each support member and the other end inserted into a lower end of each support member, a threaded portion being formed on an upper end of the upper coupling member; and a lower coupling member with one end inserted into the lower end of each support member and the other end inserted into the upper end of each support member, a threaded portion being formed on a lower end of the lower coupling member and threadedly engaged with the threaded portion of the upper coupling member.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a sectional shelf comprising: a plurality of shelves each having at least two hollow fastening parts and being stacked one by one to form desired shelf compartments, an upper portion of each shelf being opened; and a plurality of support members located between the shelves for supporting the shelves, in which a lower end of the support member is inserted in an upper end of the fastening part and an upper end is inserted in a lower end of the fastening part, in which each of the support members is provided on an outer periphery thereof with upper and lower bosses each having a diameter larger than an inner diameter of the fastening part and spaced apart from each other at a certain interval, and in which the upper boss is caught by the lower end of the fastening part which is positioned on an upper portion of the support member, and the lower boss is caught by the upper end of the fastening part which is positioned on a lower portion of the fastening part.

According to further another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a sectional shelf comprising: a plurality of shelves each having at least two hollow fastening parts and being stacked one by one to form desired shelf compartments, an upper portion of each shelf being opened; a plurality of hollow support members located between the shelves for supporting the shelves, in which a lower end of the support member of the upper shelf is inserted in an upper end of the fastening part and an upper end is inserted in a lower end of the fastening part of the lower shelf; an upper coupling member having an engaging portion inserted in the upper end of each support member; and a lower coupling member having an engaging portion inserted in the lower end of each support member.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will be more apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating a sectional shelf according to a first embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view illustrating the sectional shelf in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view illustrating a sectional shelf according to a second embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view illustrating the sectional shelf in FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view illustrating a sectional shelf according to a third embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view illustrating the sectional shelf in FIG. 5; and

FIG. 7 is a perspective view illustrating a sectional shelf according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. The matters defined in the description, such as the detailed construction and elements, are nothing but specific details provided to assist those of ordinary skill in the art in a comprehensive understanding of the invention, and thus the present invention is not limited thereto.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating a sectional shelf according to a first embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view illustrating the sectional shelf in FIG. 1.

The sectional shelf according to this embodiment includes, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, rectangular shelves which are stacked in four compartments, and four supports which are located at four corners of the shelves. It would be understood to one skilled in the art that the shape and number of the assembled shelves and the number of the supports may be varied, if necessary.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, the sectional shelf according to this embodiment includes shelves 10 each having at least two fastening parts 11 and stacked one by one to form desired compartments, support members 20 located between the shelves 10 for supporting the shelves 10, an upper coupling member 30 with one end inserted into an upper end of each support member 20 and the other end inserted into a lower end of each support member 20, and a lower coupling member 40 with one end inserted into a lower end of each support member 20 and the other end inserted into an upper end of each support member 20.

The shelf 10 has an upper portion opened to easily store articles and a lattice-like lower portion made of horizontal ribs 12 and vertical ribs 13 which are made of corrosion-proof metal, such as stainless steel.

Also, the shelf 10 has an upper frame 14 and a lower frame 15 which are disposed on an edge of the shelf 10, and a support frame 16 interposed between the upper frame 14 and the lower frame 15 for maintaining the whole shape of the shelf 10 and preventing things from dropping from the shelf.

The fastening parts 11 installed to front and rear corners of the shelf 10 is adapted to engage to the support member 20, and is formed in a pipe with opened upper and lower portions.

When the shelves 10 are stacked in several shelf compartments, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the shape of the lowermost shelf, the middle shelf, or the uppermost shelf may be changed.

The support member is interposed between the fastening part of the shelf and the fastening part of a neighbor shelf, and is made of a hollow pipe.

The upper coupling member 30 is to couple the support member with the lower end of the fastening part of each shelf. The upper coupling member 30 has a stop portion 41 formed on a middle portion of an outer periphery of the upper coupling member. The stop portion has a diameter larger than an inner diameter of the support member 20 and fastening part 11, so as to prevent the upper coupling member 30 from being fully inserted in the support member 20 and the fastening part 11.

Specifically, the upper coupling member 30 consists of an upper coupling part 32 which is inserted in the fastening part 11 of the shelf upwardly positioned and a lower coupling part 33 which is inserted in the support frame downwardly positioned, on the basis of the stop portion.

Preferably, the diameter of the stop portion 31 is equal to an outer diameter of the support member 20, so that the coupled portion of the stop portion 31 and the support member 20 has a smooth appearance even though the stop portion 31 is outwardly exposed.

The upper coupling portion 32 is provided on an inner periphery thereof with a threaded portion 32 a which is threadedly engaged with a threaded portion of the lower coupling member 40 of the upper shelf.

The lower coupling member 40 is to couple the support member 20 with the upper end of the fastening part 11 of each shelf 20. The lower coupling member 40 has an upper engaging portion 42 at an upper end which is inserted in the support member 20 of the upper shelf, a lower engaging portion 43 at a lower end which is inserted in the fastening part 11 of the lower shelf, and a stop portion 41 formed on a middle portion of an outer periphery. The stop portion has a diameter larger than an inner diameter of the support member 20 and fastening part 11, so as to prevent the lower coupling member 40 from being fully inserted in the support member 20 and the fastening part 11. Consequently, when the lower coupling member 40 is inserted between the support member 20 and the adjacent support member 20, the stop portion 41 is outwardly exposed.

In this instance, like the stop portion 31 of the upper coupling member 30, the diameter of the stop portion 41 is equal to an outer diameter of the support member 20, so that the coupled portion of the stop portion 41 and the support member 20 has a smooth appearance when the support members 20 are coupled to each other.

The lower engaging portion 43 is provided on a lower end thereof with a threaded portion 43 a which is threadedly engaged with the threaded portion 32 a of the upper coupling member 30 of the lower shelf.

An upper end cover 50 is mounted on an upper end of each fastening part 11 of the uppermost shelf. The upper end cover 50 is provided on a lower portion thereof with a threaded portion 52 which is threadedly engaged with the threaded portion 32 a of the upper coupling member 30.

Preferably, the upper end cover 50 has a head 51 of a diameter larger than the inner diameter of the fastening part 11 and equal to the outer diameter of the fastening part 11, thereby preventing the upper end cover from being fully inserted in the fastening part 11.

A lower end cover 60 is mounted on a lower end of each fastening part 11 of the lowermost shelf. The lower end cover 60 has an inserting portion 61 which is inserted in the fastening part 11 of the lowermost shelf 10. The inserting portion has a stepped stop portion 62 of a diameter larger than the inner diameter of the fastening part 11, thereby preventing the lower end cover 60 from being fully inserted in the fastening part 11.

In this instance, the inserting portion 61 and the stop portion 62 are provided with threaded portions 61 a and 62 a which are threadedly engaged with the threaded portion 43 a of the lower coupling member 40 and the threaded portion 72 of a base member 70.

The base member 70 is mounted on the lower end of the lower end cover 60. The base member 70 has a body 71 of a diameter larger than the lower end cover and a threaded portion 72 formed on an upper end of the body 71.

The body 71 has a flat bottom surface to stably support the shelf 10. Preferably, the body 71 is made of a synthetic rubber, for example, so as to prevent slippage of the base member.

The threaded portion 72 is threadedly engaged with the threaded portion 62 a formed on the inner periphery of the stop portion 62 of the lower end cover 60. Consequently, the sectional shelf of the present invention can be stably positioned on an uneven ground by rotating the threaded portion 72 of the base member so as to adjust a height of the sectional shelf.

A process of assembling the sectional shelf according to this embodiment of the present invention will now be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2.

Since the assembling process is identical irrespective of the number of the shelves to be stacked, the process of assembling two shelves will now be described.

The lower end cover 60 is inserted in the lower end of the fastening part 11 of the lower shelf, and the lower end cover 60 is inserted in the lower end of the fastening part 11 and threadedly engaged with the threaded portion 43 a of the lower coupling member 40 of the upper shelf.

Then, the lower end of the support member 20 is inserted in the upper end of the lower coupling member 40, and the lower end of the upper coupling member 30 is inserted in the upper end of the support member 20.

If the upper coupling member 30 is inserted in the upper end of the support member 20, the threaded portion 32 a of the upper coupling member 30 is inserted in the fastening part 11 of the upper shelf.

The upper end cover 50 is inserted in the upper end of the fastening part of the upper shelf 11, and then, the threaded portion 52 is engaged with the threaded portion 32 a of the upper coupling member 30 by rotating the upper end cover 50.

After the upper coupling member 30 and the lower coupling member 40 are fixed to upper and lower ends of the support member 20, the support member 20 is fastened to the shelf 10.

FIGS. 3 and 4 illustrate a sectional shelf according to a second embodiment of the present invention. The sectional shelf according to this embodiment includes shelves 10 each having at least two fastening parts 11 at and edge thereof and stacked one by one to form desired shelf compartment, and support members 20 located between the shelves 10 for supporting the shelves 10, in which a lower end of the support member 10 is inserted in an upper end of the fastening part 11 and an upper end is inserted in a lower end of the fastening part 11.

Explaining the sectional shelf shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, parts which are identical to those shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 are shown by corresponding reference numerals.

Since the construction of the shelf 10 in FIGS. 3 and 4 is substantially similar to that shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the shelf 10 will not be described herein.

The support member 20 is made of a hollow pipe, and is located at four corners of the shelf, respectively, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, but it may be easily modified by those skilled in the art.

The support member 20 is provided on an outer periphery thereof with upper and lower bosses 21 and 22 having a diameter larger than an inner diameter of the fastening part 11 and spaced apart from each other at a certain interval. An upper coupling part 23 which is engaged to the lower end of the fastening part 11 of the shelf 10 is provided on the upper portion of the upper boss 21, and a lower coupling part 24 which is engaged to the upper end of the fastening part 11 of the shelf 10 is provided on the lower portion of the lower boss 22.

The upper and lower bosses 21 and 22 are formed by compressing the support member 20 in a longitudinal direction. Preferably, the bosses 21 and 22 have a diameter equal to an outer diameter of the fastening part 11.

The upper boss 22 is caught by the lower end of the fastening part 11 of the upper shelf, while the lower boss 24 is caught by the upper end of the fastening part 11 of the lower shelf.

An upper end cover 50′ is mounted on an upper end of each fastening part 11 of the uppermost shelf. The upper end cover 50′ has a head 51′ of a diameter larger than the inner diameter of the fastening part 11 and equal to the outer diameter of the fastening part 11, thereby preventing the upper end cover 50′ from being fully inserted in the fastening part 11.

The construction of the upper end cover shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 is slightly different from that of the upper end cover shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, in which a threaded portion is not formed on the lower portion 52′ of the upper end cover 50′.

A support leg 80 is mounted on a lower end of each fastening part 11 of the lowermost shelf. The support leg 80 is provided at a middle portion thereof with an annular boss 81 for catching the fastening part 11, thereby preventing the support leg 80 from being fully inserted in the fastening part 11.

The lower end of the support leg 80 is coupled to a slippage prevention member 84 made of a synthetic rubber, so as to prevent slippage of the support leg.

Reference numerals 82 and 83 indicate an upper engaging part inserted in the lower end of the fastening part of the lowermost of the shelf and a lower engaging part inserted in the slippage prevention member, respectively.

FIGS. 5 and 6 illustrate a sectional shelf according to a third embodiment of the present invention. The sectional shelf according to this embodiment includes shelves 10 each having at least two fastening parts 11 at an edge thereof and stacked one by one to form desired shelf compartment, and support members 20 located between the shelves 10 for supporting the shelves 10, in which a lower end of the support member 10 is inserted in an upper end of the fastening part 11 and an upper end is inserted in a lower end of the fastening part 11.

Explaining the sectional shelf shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, parts which are identical to those shown in FIGS. 1 to 4 are shown by corresponding reference numerals.

Since the construction of the shelf 10 in FIGS. 3 and 4 is substantially similar to that shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the shelf 10 will not be described herein.

The support member 20 is made of a hollow pipe, and is located at four corners of the shelf, respectively, but it may be easily modified by those skilled in the art.

The support member 20 is provided on an outer periphery thereof with upper and lower bosses 21 and 22 having a diameter larger than an inner diameter of the fastening part 11 and spaced apart from each other at a certain interval. The upper and lower bosses 21 and 22 are formed by compressing the support member 20 in a longitudinal direction. Preferably, the bosses 21 and 22 have a diameter equal to an outer diameter of the fastening part 11.

The upper boss 22 is caught by the lower end of the fastening part 11 of the upper shelf, while the lower boss 24 is caught by the upper end of the fastening part 11 of the lower shelf.

An upper coupling member 30′ is inserted and engaged to the upper end of each support member 20, and a lower coupling member 40′ is inserted and engaged to the lower end of each support member 20.

The upper coupling member 30′ has an engaging portion 31′ of an outer diameter corresponding to the inner diameter of the support member 20, and the engaging portion 31′ is provided with a threaded portion 31 a′ on an inner periphery thereof. The engaging portion 31′ is provided on an upper end thereof with a flange 32′ which protrudes outwardly from the periphery thereof at a certain length, so as to prevent the upper coupling member 30′ from being fully inserted in the support member 20. Preferably, the flange 32′ has a diameter equal to the outer diameter of the support member 20.

Similarly, the lower coupling member 40′ has an engaging portion 41′ of an outer diameter corresponding to the inner diameter of the support member 20, and the engaging portion 41′ is provided with a threaded portion 41 a′ on an inner periphery thereof. The engaging portion 41′ is provided on an upper end thereof with a flange 42′ which protrudes outwardly from the periphery thereof at a certain length, so as to prevent the lower coupling member 40′ from being fully inserted in the support member 20. Preferably, the flange 42′ has a diameter equal to the outer diameter of the support member 20.

Consequently, the upper coupling member 30′ and the lower coupling member 40′ are easily inserted and engaged to the upper and lower portions of the support member 20, respectively. An adhesive may be applied onto the outer periphery of the upper and lower coupling members 30′ and 40′. In this instance, the upper and lower coupling members 30′ and 40′ are not fully inserted in the support member 20 by the flanges 32′ and 42′, respectively.

After the assembled support member 20 is inserted in the fastening part 11 of the shelf 10, the assembling of the shelves is carried out by coupling the support member 20 with the support members 20 of neighbor shelves.

Specifically, the upper coupling member 30′ engaged to the upper portion of each support member 20 is threadedly engaged with the lower coupling member 40′ of the support member passing through the fastening part 11 of the upper shelf 10, while the lower coupling member 40′ engaged to the lower portion of each support member 20 is threadedly engaged with the upper coupling member 30′ of the support member passing through the fastening part 11 of the lower shelf 10, thereby assembling the shelves.

Finally, the assembly of the shelves is completed by threadedly engaging the upper end cover 50 and the support leg 80 with the fastening parts of the uppermost and lowermost shelves, respectively.

FIG. 7 illustrates a sectional shelf according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention. The sectional shelf according to this embodiment includes shelves 10 each having at least two fastening parts 11 at an edge thereof and stacked one by one to form desired shelf compartments, and support members 20 located between the shelves 10 for supporting the shelves 10, in which a lower end of the support member 10 is inserted in an upper end of the fastening part 11 and an upper end is inserted in a lower end of the fastening part 11, which is substantially similar to the first to third embodiments.

In this embodiment, a lower end cover 60 is engaged to the fastening part 11 of the lowermost shelf 10, like the first embodiment, and a caster assembly 90 is coupled to the lower end of the lower end cover 60.

The caster assembly 90 includes a caster 91 rotatably engaged to a caster bracket 92 by a rotation shaft (not shown) and a threaded part 93 protruding upwardly from the caster bracket 92. The locking portion 62 of the lower end cover 60 is provided with a threaded portion 62 a which is threadedly engaged with the threaded part 93 of the caster bracket 92.

Consequently, a user may selectively mount or dismount the caster assembly on the lower end cover 80, if necessary.

Preferably, a stopper 94 for restraining rotation of the caster 91 is hinged to one portion of the caster bracket 92 so as to fix the position of the sectional shelf.

In this instance, the stopper 94 is adapted so that one end comes into contact with the ground to fix the sectional shelf. Alternatively, the stopper 94 is adapted so that it directly contacts the caster 91 to prevent rotation of the caster 91.

The stopper 94 may be wholly or partially made of a synthetic rubber, for example, so as to increase a frictional force between the stopper 94 and the ground.

Although this embodiment explains the case in that the caster assembly is coupled to the lower end of the lower end cover shown in the first or third embodiment, the caster assembly may be coupled to a threaded groove which is formed on the lower end of the support leg 80 of the second embodiment.

With the above description, the sectional shelf of the present invention can permit easy assembling and disassembling of a plurality of shelves, and stably maintain the shape of the shelves assembled by support members and/or coupling members.

Although preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described for illustrative purposes, those skilled in the art will appreciate that various modifications, additions and substitutions are possible, without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention as disclosed in the accompanying claims. 

1. A sectional shelf comprising: a plurality of shelves each having at least two hollow fastening parts and being stacked one by one to form desired shelf compartments, an upper portion of each shelf being opened; a plurality of hollow support members located between the shelves for supporting the shelves; an upper coupling member with one end inserted into an upper end of each support member and the other end inserted into a lower end of each support member, a threaded portion being formed on an upper end of the upper coupling member; and a lower coupling member with one end inserted into the lower end of each support member and the other end inserted into the upper end of each support member, a threaded portion being formed on a lower end of the lower coupling member and threadedly engaged with the threaded portion of the upper coupling member.
 2. The sectional shelf as claimed in claim 1, wherein the upper and lower coupling members have a stop portion formed on a middle portion of an outer periphery of each of the upper and lower coupling members, and the stop portion has a diameter larger than an inner diameter of the support member and fastening part.
 3. The sectional shelf as claimed in claim 1, wherein an upper end cover is mounted on an upper end of each fastening part of the uppermost shelf, and the upper end cover is provided on a lower portion thereof with a threaded portion which is threadedly engaged with the threaded portion of the upper coupling member.
 4. The sectional shelf as claimed in claim 1, wherein a lower end cover is mounted on a lower end of each fastening part of the lowermost shelf, and the lower end cover has a stepped stop portion of a diameter larger than the inner diameter of the fastening part, in which the stop portion is provided with a threaded portion which is threadedly engaged with the threaded portion of the lower coupling member.
 5. The sectional shelf as claimed in claim 4, wherein a base member is mounted on a lower end of the lower end cover, and the base member has a body of a diameter larger than the inner diameter of the fastening part, and a threaded portion formed on an upper end of the body which is threadedly engaged with the threaded portion of the stop portion.
 6. The sectional shelf as claimed in claim 4, wherein a caster bracket having a caster is detachably coupled to the lower end of the lower end cover, and the caster bracket has a stopper for restraining rotation of the caster.
 7. A sectional shelf comprising: a plurality of shelves each having at least two hollow fastening parts and being stacked one by one to form desired shelf compartments, an upper portion of each shelf being opened; and a plurality of support members located between the shelves for supporting the shelves, in which a lower end of the support member is inserted in an upper end of the fastening part and an upper end is inserted in a lower end of the fastening part, in which each of the support members is provided on an outer periphery thereof with upper and lower bosses each having a diameter larger than an inner diameter of the fastening part and spaced apart from each other at a certain interval, and in which the upper boss is caught by the lower end of the fastening part which is positioned on an upper portion of the support member, and the lower boss is caught by the upper end of the fastening part which is positioned on a lower portion of the fastening part.
 8. The sectional shelf as claimed in claim 7, wherein the upper and lower bosses are formed by compressing the support member in a longitudinal direction, respectively.
 9. The sectional shelf as claimed in claim 7, wherein a support leg is mounted on a lower end of each fastening part of the lowermost shelf, and the support leg is provided at a middle portion thereof with a stop portion having a diameter large than an inner diameter of the fastening part.
 10. The sectional shelf as claimed in claim 9, wherein a caster bracket having a caster is detachably coupled to the lower end of the support leg, and the caster bracket has a stopper for restraining rotation of the caster.
 11. A sectional shelf comprising: a plurality of shelves each having at least two hollow fastening parts and being stacked one by one to form desired shelf compartments, an upper portion of each shelf being opened; a plurality of hollow support members located between the shelves for supporting the shelves, in which a lower end of the support member of the upper shelf is inserted in an upper end of the fastening part and an upper end is inserted in a lower end of the fastening part of the lower shelf; an upper coupling member having an engaging portion inserted in the upper end of each support member; and a lower coupling member having an engaging portion inserted in the lower end of each support member.
 12. The sectional shelf as claimed in claim 11, wherein the engaging portion of the upper coupling member is provided on an upper end thereof with a flange having a diameter equal to an outer diameter of the support member and a threaded portion corresponding to a threaded portion of the upper coupling member.
 13. The sectional shelf as claimed in claim 11, wherein the engaging portion and threaded portion of the lower coupling member are provided on upper ends thereof with a flange having a diameter equal to an outer diameter of the support member, respectively. 